The Misplaced Competition
by So Guhn
Summary: Zero is sick in bed. C.C. takes it upon herself to cure him. As does the rest of the Black Knights. Lelouch/C.C./Black Knights.


_The Misplaced Competition_** ; PG - humour/gen - Lelouch + C.C./Black Knights**

Zero.

The man who would destroy and recreate the world, the man who had led the Black Rebellion, formed the United States of Japan, the United States of China, and was one of Britannia's greatest foes (though they were albeit, unlikely to admit it). Despite all these things-

-he was lying in bed with a fever, from a cold. A cold he had no idea where he caught, it was near summer already. Who caught a cold in the summer? When he should be further planning the destruction of the Britannian Empire he was stuck in _bed_ of all places, covers up over his nose, if he leaned his face forward only his forehead would be visible. His dark hair laid in sweaty tangles, C.C. for all her experience in the world was not a good nurse.

She had placed a wash cloth over his head to cool it, and despite her "good intent" she'd only been able to wet it halfway, he told her of such, she told him if he had wanted someone better he should have hurried up and retrieved that pilot of his. He grew quiet at this remark, sourly thinking indeed; even Kallen would have been able to dampen a wash cloth unlike her. He let out a cough behind the covers. Feeling warm and heavy, his eye lids- he fell asleep.

When he woke, the washcloth was warm (and still half dry) on his brow, his eyes wearily scanned over his room (more his office, he'd placed a folding bed in here with good reason), C.C. sitting a ways away, holding Cheese-kun to her breast, she noticed his gaze and followed it through. His eyes left her to stop at his bedside...

"C.C." he called, a hand reached out from beneath the covers to point-

"Hm?" she replied a little sleepy sounding herself, he wondered if she had dozed off the same as he, but since sleep was not about her eyes decided it was an attempt at innocence.

"This," he said.

She blinked at him, as if in unknowing question.

"What is all this?"

C.C. rose from the stool she had been sitting upon, gently placing Cheese-kun upon it and in great flourish replied, "Oh! That, well the giant teddy bear I think is from Kaguya, the herbal tea from Ohgi, the prescription drugs from Tamaki, the ancient Japanese remedy (dry salamander included) from Todou, the soup from Diethard and-"

"C.C." he interrupts, not exactly frowning, noting what seemed like an endless supply of boxes of tissues piled up, the flowers, the many get well cards, "You do understand that when the _leader_ is sick it is much better his troops do not _know_?"

She gave a shrug.

"No? It may lower their morale! Their ability to work, their faith!" he seemed to have trouble talking, out of breath already, he glared at her a great deal. She only curled a lock of lime green hair about her fingers and smiled not incensed, chuckling in that still purely feminine way she had.

"Morale? You mean your _pride_."

He looked back on upon his gifts, and tried to decide which he could lift _and_ throw at her, and that is when he spotted near the edge-

"C.C."

"What?" she had been looking at her finger nails.

"That."

"Oh? That?" she found it a little endearing that his hand had not appeared from the covers to point any longer, but futilely _reach_.

There was a long silence before, "I want it."

She approached his nightstand, and picked up the small glass dish from the crowded tray. The spoon in her other hand, a clink against the glass. Lelouch in rising had let the wash cloth fall from his brow. He sat up against his pillow somewhat, still semi-under. She scooped some of the custard pudding, temptingly about to take a bite, before- she shoved it in front of his face.

"Here," she said, her fingers hold the spoon with a confirmed grip, and not at all hesitant- ate it.

"You really like it don't you," she continued, he was near about to reach out and grab it to feed himself if she didn't hurry with the next bite, when he made an agreeing noise, and then she said quite loudly (and he had no idea why she needed to talk that loudly) "You really like PUDDING."

The second bite was held out too far back than the previous, "C.C."

She noticed and a little abashedly, "...right."

Moved the spoon forward.

--

Outside, on the other side of Lelouch's door unbeknownst to him-

"See?" said Jeremiah, hands spreading in a horribly pride shrug, the others looked on almost sourly, Diethard removed the glass he had used to hear in, Kaguya like wisely moved her ear, and since the three had taken up most of the space collectively (Jeremiah and Diethard weren't the smallest of men), Ohgi behind Tamaki who had listened at the hinge, and Todou with Asahina and Chiba three feet away, not entirely ready to stoop to the level the rest of them had. They murmured amongst themselves that if Kallen had been here _she_ would have won. Diethard had a very unpleasant expression on his face, that soup had been his grandmother's legacy.

Jeremiah, a proud smile spread over his lips (though he had their disdain, it did not matter to him), "_I_ obviously know his majesty-"

"_Zero_," they all corrected, Kaguya's "-sama" in there as well. This had to be the 256th time they had told him since his arrival. He waved them off, but complied to them any way "_Lord Zero_ the most."

Tamaki muttered something that suspiciously sounded like _damn orenji_, when Jeremiah started to laugh victoriously-

--

"What's that sound?" Lelouch asked; a brow raised- mouth then agape in waiting. He looked to the door.

C.C. quickly shoved the tenth bite into his mouth.

"It's nothing."

They all should have known better when she placed her bet on Jeremiah. They should have followed through and copied her. But no. They had underestimated the history they didn't know, brushed him off as a scapegoat. But C.C. knew better, why- she remembered once, she had been leaving from having tea with Marianne... when she caught him, not yet on duty (gathering information about the beloved Marianne and her family first) spying into a kitchen window from his bush cover (though there had been no other bushes) where a young Lelouch had been having dessert first- Jeremiah had accurately stored this information for later. C.C. too had taken it into account and now half the Black Knights owed her money.

--

When Zero was better, Tamaki approached him.

"Say... Zero."

"What?" he was ready to shrug him off in some manner as always.

"...you can decide on my position now right?"

Tamaki, had he been able to seen Zero's face- would have know that right now he was being given a _I have no idea what you're talking about_-look when Zero opened his door to the familiar office where he had lain sick, and spotted- package upon package: custard pudding, freshly arrived from how cold his room felt (the AC on high).

Zero then, with only a moment's contemplation... "Tamaki, please come in."


End file.
